Mobile wireless communication networks enable mobile subscribers to make and receive telephone calls, and to transmit and receive data using mobile communications devices such as cellular phones and smartphones. When a mobile communication device is used in the vicinity of a base station and a clear communication link is available between the mobile device and the base station, the mobile device may be provided with high reliability and high quality mobile communication services. However, when many mobile communications devices are crowded in the vicinity of a base station, or when a mobile device is located in a radio shadow area of the base station, communications between mobile devices and base stations may suffer from slow and/or unreliable service.
To provide high quality mobile communication services, mobile wireless communication network operators monitor the performance of their networks throughout coverage areas of the networks. The performance information can, in turn, be used to update a configuration of a piece of currently installed network equipment to provide enhanced communication services. The performance information can, additionally or alternatively, be used to identify locations for installing additional base stations, repeaters, or other network equipment.
In general, the performance information is obtained through measurement of the quality of the wireless communication network service at various locations, times, and/or under different environmental or usage conditions. The measurements are generally undertaken by highly trained persons having received education related to the measurement of the quality of wireless communications networks and using specialized devices intended for use by such experts. As a result, mobile network operators incur significant expense to obtain such measurements.
A need therefore exists for more versatile systems and methods for measuring the quality of a wireless communication network.